The student news site of Portola High School

Portola Pilot
The student news site of Portola High School

Portola Pilot
The student news site of Portola High School

Portola Pilot
Grace Baek

Grace Baek, Asst. Sports Editor

Grace Baek is the assistant Sports Editor for her second and final year on the Pilot. She is looking forward to getting to know the new staff members and making more memories as a whole class. When she is writing articles for the Pilot, you can see her listening to Christmas music in September or Ghibli Studio instrumentals at 3am. Outside the newsroom, she enjoys watching baking videos, eating ice cream, and rewatching every single Disney movie.

All content by Grace Baek
Parts of Great Park Boulevard are closed due to waterpark construction, which began last July. Though the park includes replicas of old rides at the original Wild Rivers such as Bombay Blasters and Switzer Falls, most attractions will be new, according to the Orange County Register.

Wild Rivers Waterpark Set to Open in the Heart of Irvine

Grace Baek | May 31, 2022
According to choir teacher Nina Crecia, who composed “Eternal Bond” for Canta Bella, one does not become a composer only when they gain recognition or create a masterpiece — one becomes a composer when they write their first song. “It can sometimes be a hindrance when you think you have to be amazing at something, because everybody has to start somewhere,” Crecia said. “So start by starting: if you have one idea, just honor that idea and let it flourish and write that song.”

Choir Teacher Nina Crecia Helps Canta Bella Celebrate Its “Eternal Bond

Grace Baek and Justin Tang | May 23, 2022

Portola High’s Popular Teachers

Grace Baek, Clara Ferreira Lopes, and Tara Vatandoust | May 4, 2022

Meet Our Librarian

Grace Baek and Clara Ferreira Lopes | May 2, 2022
Senior Pranay Sashikanth reviews the vegan chicken nuggets and fries, giving it a final score of 76%. “I try to cook if I have time,” Sashikanth said. “Usually my passion for food comes with watching a lot of cooking videos, because I find them very relaxing and fun to watch.”

Bon Appétit! Meet Portola High’s Cafeteria Food Critics

Grace Baek and Erin Choi | April 15, 2022
Both chicken meals from Dave’s Hot Chicken and Raising Cane’s contain chicken tenders, crinkle-cut fries and toasted bread. Chick-fil-A has a more unique side of waffle fries and their signature dipping sauce.

Battle of the Chickens

Grace Baek and Erin Choi | April 12, 2022
While breaking news may grip you with fear of catastrophic thoughts that leads to endless checking of news, it is important to remind ourselves that news coverage is purposefully written in a more tense way at times. “You have to understand that what you're consuming is a product that's sold by a company that has an agenda,” senior Adam Mabsout said. “And that agenda does not align with your best interest, so you have to take that into account whenever you consume news.”

When the News Gets Overwhelming, It’s Okay to Take a Break

Grace Baek and Tyler Kim | April 1, 2022
Former Portola Student Audrey Hsieh Lands Breakthrough Role in Netflix’s ‘Mixtape’

Former Portola Student Audrey Hsieh Lands Breakthrough Role in Netflix’s ‘Mixtape’

Grace Baek and Erin Choi | March 3, 2022
Senior Jun Yu’s favorite piece is a black and white photo of two boys running around Laguna Beach — a shot captured spontaneously. “I do love shooting photos that everyone else also shoots, like famous places or famous buildings,” Yu said. “But that shot was a very quick capture, and it was kind of an unexpected moment. So I think those moments create the best photos all the time.”

Senior Captures World through His Lens

Grace Baek, Asst. Sports Editor | March 1, 2022
Cooking $20 Thanksgiving Feast

Cooking $20 Thanksgiving Feast

Grace Baek and Erin Choi | November 23, 2021
According to instrumental music teacher Desmond Stevens, Portola High is the only school in IUSD to have its very own street piano but the music program would be more than happy to take any unwanted pianos off of another person’s hands. Though instrumental music teacher Desmond Stevens does not play the piano by the theater, claiming he has “spatulas for hands,” he said he saw the value of leaving an instrument outside for the public. “We know that our student body has a lot of rich musical experience, whether or not they have the time in classes, so we wanted that opportunity for [the piano] to be open to anybody at any time,” Stevens said.

Meet Tyrolean

Charlotte Cao and Grace Baek | November 15, 2021
Lion-Dragon Dancers performed at the Irvine Global Village Festival on Oct. 9. Pictured are the dancers and four lion heads, which can weigh as much as 15 to 20 pounds (depending on the amount of ornaments), according to sophomore Deko Hsiao.

Students Bring History to Life through Dragon and Lion Dancing

Erin Choi and Grace Baek | November 3, 2021
Freshman Mariana Alvarado-Rivera, junior Gustavo Alvarado-Rivera and their mother Rosana Rivera transform their house into an alien abduction site, using blow-up aliens and skeleton figures. The glow-in-the-dark stickers on the windows and bright lights placed above and near the house illuminate the decorations even during the nighttime.

Check Out these Local Haunts Before They Disappear

Grace Baek and Clara Ferreira Lopes | October 29, 2021
“Dear Evan Hansen” released in movie theaters on Sept. 24, starring Ben Platt as the titular character. While the film was written by Steven Lenson who wrote the narrative of the original Broadway show and directed by Stephen Chbosky, a director well known for previous works on adolescent mental health, the film received mixed response from audiences.

‘Dear Evan Hansen’ Translates Poorly to Big-Screen

Erin Choi and Grace Baek | October 14, 2021
Thirteen seniors from Portola High were among the 2,100 students who qualified as semifinalists in California by meeting the cutoff score of 221. The number of semifinalists in a state is proportional to the state’s percentage of the national total of graduating seniors, causing cutoff scores to differ by state. All students who meet the cutoff score for their state automatically qualify as semifinalists, regardless of their score relative to others.

Thirteen Seniors Named National Merit Semifinalists During Pandemic PSAT Testing

Grace Baek and Clara Ferreira Lopes | October 1, 2021

Behind the Scenes of Beginning and Intermediate Video Production

Grace Baek, Staff Writer | June 3, 2021
Special education students and staff members dress up for the Hawaii CBI event by wearing leis and hawaiian shirts. During the CBI activity, they answer like, “What would you eat in Hawaii?”

Special Education Travels the World with Community Based Instruction

Grace Baek and | May 21, 2021
Scholarship Opportunities for Seniors

Scholarship Opportunities for Seniors

Grace Baek and Ryan Jung | April 16, 2021
Machine Learning Club president Lavanya Gupta starts the inter-school competition over Zoom to test students on their knowledge of machine learning, a type of data analysis that predicts decisions based on past patterns.

Machine Learning Club Launches First Club Competition

Grace Baek and Erin Choi | April 12, 2021

How to Bake a Minimalist Cake

Ava Caleca and Grace Baek | March 12, 2021
“Soul” breaks ground in Pixar Animation history by being the first film to feature an African-American protagonist. Behind the scenes, Pixar also defies expectations in representation by including one of the most diverse voice casts, which has a majority of Black voice actors.

Pixar Pours Heart and ‘Soul’ into Existential Animated Film

Sidra Asif, Grace Baek, and Claudia Lin | January 22, 2021
Over the past months, students have been struggling with a common phenomenon known as “quarantine fatigue,” causing them to feel exhaustion and a lack of motivation associated with the new restrictive lifestyle of sanitizing and mask wearing that COVID-19 has brought.

How to Cope with Quarantine Fatigue

Grace Baek, Staff Writer | December 18, 2020
Pandemic Culture Transforms Patterns of Social Interaction

Pandemic Culture Transforms Patterns of Social Interaction

Grace Baek and Erin Choi | December 3, 2020
ASB students show school spirit by dressing up for “Fall Asleep Friday” and coming to school in their pajamas.

Students Show Spirit for Thanksgiving Season

Grace Baek, Staff Writer | November 30, 2020
As seniors scramble to make finishing touches on their profiles and submit college applications, this year’s seniors have been burdened with another difficulty: the cancellation of SAT and ACT tests.

Seniors Travel Out of State for Standardized Tests

Grace Baek and Charlotte Cao | November 11, 2020
Boys water polo athletes conduct a shooting drill with sanitized kickboards and gloves to minimize contact with the ball.

Sports Restarting Amidst Social Distancing Protocols

Grace Baek, Staff Writer | October 29, 2020
Because of COVID-19, many of the new teachers have unconventionally introduced themselves to their students through Zoom. As September 24 approaches, the teachers have been preparing to teach on campus for the first time and fully immerse themselves in Portola’s atmosphere.

Welcoming New Teachers to the Bulldog Staff for the 2020-21 School Year

Grace Baek and Ariana Wu | September 17, 2020
Juniors Alejandra Guio-Perez, Sriragavi Ukeshkumar and Mariam Arafa surprise their friend with a virtual Red Carpet themed birthday party.

Taking a Break: Students Celebrate Their Labor Day Weekend While Social Distancing

Grace Baek, Staff Writer | September 11, 2020
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The student news site of Portola High School
Grace Baek